I would head into town and challenge Sasquatch, owning my gargoyle mantle and blending invisibly into the buildings. I’d lie in wait for Sasquatch to sneak by, and when he was nearly past, I’d stab him right in the back. It was the sneaky, underhanded sort of thing that my mood dictated right now. Stabbing him from the front might scare him a little more, but I felt like pulling a Psycho from behind.
I patted Cheryl, nestled in the back pocket of my jeans, the spring-loaded pocketknife with a razor-sharp edge. She’d cause a problem if anyone would.
After that, it would be off to the bar for a hundred and two libations, followed by an alcohol-induced coma. Drown the pain. Hopefully, my plan would bolster me enough that I could meet Austin’s brother tomorrow. I’d play ambassador to Ivy House, then we could sit down and talk about the mage’s visit. We’d need to set up dinners and…
I didn’t even know what. Clearly I’d need a lesson on what to expect from a formal meetup.
But all that could wait until tomorrow. We had a month to plan. One day of furlough wouldn’t hurt.
“It’s going to work this time.” I made a fist as I headed out the door, Ulric and Mr. Tom in tow. Jasper was already downtown, having organized the “game” with Sasquatch. “I’m going to become the stone.”
“You don’t actually become stone, miss,” Mr. Tom said.
“Yes, Mr. Tom, I know that. It was just a figure of speech.”
Sebastian met me on the porch, and I had a surge of hopefulness. His week had officially ended yesterday. Did this mean he would stay?
“What happened to your hedge maze?” he asked as he kept pace, having decided to tag along even though it wasn’t a traditional training session. “I ducked back there to give Edgar a new growing serum and saw him fretting over a huge hole in the side.”
“The basajaun did that,” I said. “Mr. Tom hid the golden egg—which was a solid gold egg, by the way.”
“How was I supposed to know the situation didn’t call for an actual golden egg?” Mr. Tom said, outraged. “You told me about your traditions, but you left out vital information.”
“You should’ve seen the look on Jimmy’s face,” Ulric said, laughing. “At first he was incredibly confused, then he thought it was fake gold. It wasn’t until he found out it was real that the facial gymnastics started. I think he was afraid to hold it.”
“Of course he was afraid to hold it!” I said. Niamh wasn’t on her porch. It was only midafternoon, but maybe she’d already headed to the bar. Jimmy’s departure had affected everyone. They’d liked having a younger person in the house to fawn over, like a bunch of grandparents. “He’s never seen that much gold in his life, not to mention the amount of money it represented. We were comfortable, the ex and I, but we were not rich by any means. Jimmy hasn’t ever seen the kind of money this place has just loitering around the attic.”
“If you would just finish the transition and officially transfer the—”
I held up my hand. “Not now, Mr. Tom. I don’t want to hear about that today.” If Austin and his brother had set up more robust defenses already, nothing had notably changed along my street. The houses ended and gave way to woods on both sides, sunlight fighting through the dense canopy, struggling to the ground. “Sebastian, to answer your question, the basajaun made that hole. He went into the maze with Jimmy to help find the egg. Once inside, though, they couldn’t find their way back out. Before Edgar could go in and retrieve them, the basajaun roared like he was being attacked, picked Jimmy up, and burst his way through the sides until he was out. Once there, he cleared a large patch of flowers and then drank all the champagne. Apparently he didn’t like being trapped in the maze.”
Sebastian threaded his hands into his pockets. “A basajaun, huh? I’d like to meet one of them someday. I’ve heard they are fearsome.”
“Yes. And incredibly violent when they get their dander up.” I peered through the trunks and leaves as we walked. “I need to put a spell around the woods at the end of the street to warn me of approaching danger. But hikers and animals and all sorts of people wander around this area before setting foot on Ivy House property. How do I pinpoint what’s actually dangerous?”
“Remember that spell you learned for sussing out weapons and dangerous things?” Sebastian asked lightly, looking the other way, as though envisioning the possibilities.
“Yes.”
“And a tripwire. I’m sure you know how to do a tripwire?”
“Yes.”
“So…” Sebastian looked straight ahead again.
“So I tie those two spells together and voila.” I shook my head, annoyed at myself. I should’ve been able to deduce that.
“I have a couple of spells that might work better, though,” he said as we reached the end of the street and turned toward downtown. “They are advanced, but with practice, you should be able to get them. Then we need to get into elixirs and potions. Believe it or not, potions are much harder than spells. They are an art form. If you get good at potions, the world is your oyster. You can make a living wherever you go. A good living, too. You won’t have a care in the world. Well…” He shrugged his left shoulder. “Except for being killed by a rival organization trying to cripple the organization you’re working for.”
“That’s a thing?” I asked.
“Of course that’s a thing. To have power in the magical world is to accept danger. The people who want it will kill to get it, and the people who have it will kill to keep it. Everyone else is in the crosshairs. But if you are a master at spells or potions, you can protect yourself. Master both, and you are someone to be reckoned with.”
“Are you someone to be reckoned with?”
“Yes. When I want to be. Which isn’t often. It’s tedious. I much prefer working in my lab with my head down, creating new spells and potions.”
I bit my lip. It really did sound like he planned to stay.
I took a chance. “You’ll need a lab, then. And a paycheck.” I ran my fingers through my hair as we neared the downtown area. “I’m sorry, I’ve been distracted with my visitor. I lost track of time.”
“So far you’ve paid me in other ways. We’ll figure it out. But yes, a lab would be nice.”
I almost asked what other ways he was referring to, and if that meant he was for sure staying, but I wasn’t in a great frame of mind right now. So instead I just nodded and let silence settle over the group. I’d add a serious sit-down with Sebastian to the growing list of things I needed to accomplish tomorrow.
A few streets over from the main drag, a hard-faced shifter I didn’t recognize walked down the sidewalk toward us. Tall and broad, he had a gently lined face that showed his years, mid-forties, and eyes the color of onyx. He glided like the lethal killer he likely was, his gaze passing through our crew quickly but efficiently, showing experience. Shoulders back and limbs loose, his confidence was no small thing.
I gulped. This had to be one of the shifters Austin’s brother had brought in. He wasn’t here to cause trouble or challenge for a place in the pack. He was here to keep order and establish a presence. Given the sudden coiling of my body—half of me wanting to laugh manically and then sprint away, and the other half wanting to laugh manically, brandish Cheryl, and sprint toward him—he was damned good at his job.
“Time check,” I said, the shifter’s eyes coming to rest on me. I made myself keep walking, swinging my lead feet, tamping down that maniacal laughter. My small hairs stood on end, as though a battle drew near.
“You have five minutes, miss,” Mr. Tom said. “You might as well start now. That horrible little man is probably already in place. He has been a cheat for as long as I’ve known him.”
I expected the shifter to continue walking down the center of the sidewalk, a bit of posturing that would force us to either step aside or fight. I expected to play chicken with his barrel chest and thick, muscular body, using magic to ensure he lost. I would not be pushed around in my town. Not by someone I knew, and especially not by an outsider. I knew enough about the magical world to know you couldn’t always be polite, and you shouldn’t always take the higher ground. Sometimes you had to fight for your place.
Surprisingly, though, he slowed and stepped to the side, taking the curb so we didn’t have to move.
“Ma’am,” he said, nodding.
“Good day, sir,” I replied, then couldn’t help making a face like I’d just sucked on a lemon. “Good day, sir?” I muttered after we’d passed and were beyond his hearing. Hopefully. You never knew with shifters. “I held his gaze, won my place, and my celebratory salutation was good day, sir? What am I, Charles Dickens?”
“Technically, that is a who,” Ulric said. “That must be one of the new guys. He was the right amount of intense for the town at present.”
“I thought you did very well,” Mr. Tom said, and although he was behind me and thus out of sight, I knew his chin was raised in snobby disdain. “You showed the shifter that the mistress of Ivy House does not cower within a dominating stare.”
“Sure, but now he’s probably wondering why I didn’t stop and extend a lacy, gloved hand so he could kiss it before I walked on with my parasol,” I muttered. “I told Austin I’d show off my power and my people. Hard to look awesome when I say things like that.”
“People are wary of the unpredictable,” Sebastian said, hands still in his pockets, turning to look behind us. “You’re good. Keep being weird.”
“You say that as though you think she has a choice in the matter,” Mr. Tom said, and I got the feeling he was trying to help in some way.
“Okay everyone, disperse.” I waved them away, pushing back against the wall.
An older man and woman walked along the sidewalk on the other side of the street. They glanced over, and I gave a little wave before pulling my power around me and sinking into the elements. They waved back, and if I’d just rendered myself invisible, they would’ve given a sign.